Day 1523

I got a pleasant surprise this morning. I received a publisher's proof of my entry in the upcoming SXSW Cookbook. I was amazed. My recipe looked really good. Somebody had actually followed the directions and cooked the recipe, just so they could photograph it for the cookbook. I didn't know they were going to do that. I also didn't know that they were going to give me a really nice write up that made me look like much more than a reclusive guy who works at home with his dogs.

Maybe I was more back in the days when I routinely used to attend SXSW. I couldn't even afford to go to SXSW anymore. The festival wasn't a star studded event like Sundance back then, but it was still a big deal. The year they asked me to be a speaker at the event, fellow speakers included folks like Steven Soderbergh and Matthew McConaughey. I'm without a doubt the least famous person to have a recipe in this illustrious cookbook, which includes recipes by luminaries like Guy Kawasaki and Randi Zuckerberg. It's an honor to be included. I felt kind of the same way when Paypal selected me to be a spokesperson for their advertising a few years ago. I'm kind of a ghost now, but it's nice to be remembered.

It felt like Spring today. Temperatures were in the seventies and there was a nice breeze. Weather like this always brings a ton of people out to the park behind my house. For years, the place used to be a quiet wooded area and then one year the city passed a big bond issue to revitalize the park. Now the park is a popular destination for people from all over the area. With people come problems. Almost every time there's a really nice day I see fire and rescue folks on the lake rescuing swimmers and unlucky folks who managed to sink their kayaks. I don't know what happened today, but while I was giving Dot and Dash their evening walk I saw a large firetruck with seven firemen, a fire department rescue boat, a police car, and an ambulance. I hope everybody was OK, but it didn't look good.

My second Jawbone UP band has broken. I've gotten hooked on wearing these diminutive activity trackers, but they sure don't last very long. Janet and my stockbroker have had their bands go kaput on them too. I wonder why they can't make the batteries in these things last longer. That's usually what goes wrong. One day you wake up and realize the battery just won't charge anymore and you're just wearing a silly looking loop of rubber.

I'm so happy that Dot has made a complete recovery from what could have been a very serious accident. Dalmatians must have iron stomachs. Spot ate broken glass and lived. Petey ate several birds and some rather large barbecued rib bones. Greta just gnawed on the legs of my prized Palazzetti Tomasa dining room chairs, which didn't hurt her at all, but it sure made me sick.

It definitely looks like a dog park day tomorrow. The weather is absolutely fabulous this weekend. At least temporarily, the ground hog is forgiven.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1522 - Valentine's Day

To a dog, Valentine's Day is just like any other day, except that sometimes you get dressed up in silly costumes, and other times you get an extra treat after dinner. Ours usually get a Sprinkles dog cupcake. These look exactly like the Sprinkles cupcakes for people, except that they are for dogs. I hope they are made with dog safe ingredients and aren't packed with sugar. I've never really asked. Dot and Dash sure like them though.

This morning, when I was driving home from my breakfast restaurant, I noticed a lot of men washing their cars, so I decided to wash mine as well. Men seem to like to wash cars, especially on a nice day. There is something satisfying about a clean car. It is well within the realm of possibility. A clean house is nothing but a pipe dream. With two Dalmatians and clutter everywhere, I've given up on ever having a clean house.

Dot is just about back to normal now. Her eyes are bright and her energy has returned. The only problem I'm having now is figuring out where to keep her, so she'll be safe when I have to leave the house. When I look around the house, there are lots and lots of cloth or leather things a dog could chew on if they got in one of those frantic chewing moods. For now, I put up some dog gates and confine her in a hallway area where there are brick floors. There is no need to confine Dash, but since he likes to sleep on the bed when we're gone, he ends up being confined too. Dot's temporary hallway pen blocks his exit. Neither dog seems to mind this arrangement since they sleep most of the day anyway.

The complex boarding arrangements add even even additional time to my daily dog care routines. Now that I'm walking each dog separately and creating separate spaces for them every time I leave the house, there doesn't seem to be much time for anything else. No sane person would spend this much time being a dog butler, but you guys probably figured out that I'm not entirely sane quite a while ago.

I paid a bunch of bills this afternoon and now I feel poor again. Money seems to flow in and out of my hands like the tide. I need more lucky breaks like I got at the grocery store this morning. I ended up getting a $30 Filet mignon for $9 because somebody mistakenly mislabeled it. I didn't even realized that I had selected such an exclusive little piece of beef until I heard two butchers conferring about the price. They were good to their word and let me have the price marked on the case. I think they took that $9 sign down as soon as I left.

It looks like we've got a three day weekend with decent weather coming up. I'm still not sure what President's Day is all about, but I'll take any excuse I can get not to work. Who knows, the dogs might even get two trips to the dog park.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1521

Dot is OK. After spending the day getting a series of Barium x-rays to determine if her digestive system was still functioning properly, the radiologist finally gave her a clean bill of health and she was able to come home again. Everybody told me that we were extremely lucky that she was able to throw up the last big mass of carpet last night. The spongy, fibrous mass effectively blocked any solids from going into her intestines, which was a good thing. It didn't look like she had any long strands of fiber in her intestines at all. If she wasn't able to throw this mass up, it would have had to be removed surgically from her stomach.

All's well that ends well, but now I can't really trust Dot in the house when I'm gone anymore. Who knows when this frantic compulsion to eat something like this will return? We've got to figure out what is causing these episodes. The best guess so far is that she has acid reflux. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the problem. I had a bad case of acid reflux myself once. It took a long time to find the cause and eliminate it, but it can be done.

It was good that work was slow today, because it gave me time for the trips back and forth to the vet and other errands that I wouldn't have had time for if it was a normal day. Traffic was terrible today, but I wasn't in a hurry so it didn't matter. I decided to get Sprinkles cupcakes today, instead of waiting in the insanely long Valentine's Day lines tomorrow. What the hell. These cupcakes will still be just as fresh tomorrow. I'm tired of standing in line for two hours or more just to buy some very overpriced cupcakes. Apparently other people had the same idea, because there was still a line. It was a reasonable line though. I was out of there in twenty minutes.

This week I'm glad I live in Texas. They may be having record snowfalls in New York, but it was 70 degrees in Dallas today. I think the nice weather is expected to last through the weekend too. I heard several people talk about playing golf this weekend. I'm sure the cold weather will return, but I'm a happy camper now. This is one of the weirdest Winters that I can remember. We continue to bounce back and forth between freezing and sweating and nobody knows why.

At least we don't have sinkholes in Texas. I was shocked to see all those historic Corvettes get swallowed up by a huge sinkhole in Kentucky. Florida has a lot of sinkholes too. All we have are tornadoes. If Dot's condition continues to improve, I'm going out for a good breakfast tomorrow. It's been a long week and I need a break. Dot's not getting anywhere near anything cloth when I leave though. No more carpet eating! I think I'll pen her up in the brick hallway. I'm getting ahead of myself though. First we have to see how she does tonight.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1520

It was a stressful day. Dot is not getting better. When I took her on her morning walk, she threw up some of the carpet she ate. About three hours later, she threw up even more carpet scraps. I took her back to the vet and she said that even though it was a good thing that she was able throw up most of the carpet she ate, she wasn't out of the woods yet. Carpet is apparently one of the worst things a dog can eat because long strings of the fabric tend to stay intact. It is these long strings that can cause serious problems if they get into the intestines.

The vet said I ought to try feeding her small amounts of a bland canned dog food like Hills ID four times a day, to encourage her to pass the rest of the debris through her system. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold the canned food down and threw up again. We'll be watching Dot carefully tonight and taking her back to the vet first thing in the morning for a series of Barium x-rays to determine if there is a blockage. Hopefully, she'll be able to pass everything, because if she can't, she'll have to have abdominal surgery. Our first Dalmatian had to have abdominal surgery and it was extremely difficult to get his digestive processes working again afterwards. He almost died.

Dash, of course, is still waking us up in a panic at three in the morning to go outside and poop. We're still not sure what is wrong with him either. My shoulder is taking its own sweet time to heal as well. Life goes on, but this is definitely not the best February I can remember.

I went to the networking breakfast this morning, mostly because Dot seemed perfectly fine when I woke up. She actually seemed perfectly fine when I returned. It wasn't until about 10:30 AM that she started throwing up carpet scraps. This morning's meeting was actually pretty interesting. There was no formal agenda and we just sat around and talked about how much our respective industries had changed in the last decade. It was oddly reassuring to realize that everybody else was facing the same jarring, tumultuous changes that I am.

Dot is resting calmly now. She threw up some more carpet right after I finished my dinner this evening, but she is breathing normally and her stomach is not distended. If she starts throwing up violently, we'll have to take her to the emergency vet tonight, but hopefully that won't happen. She actually appears more comfortable now after she threw up the most recent batch of carpet.  The odd thing is that she now appears to have thrown up more carpet than she actually ate. Poor girl. She's got to be really uncomfortable.

Hopefully, things will start looking up tomorrow. I saw the sun again this evening while I was walking Dash. That's always a good sign.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1519

I've certainly seen better days. We started things out with a dog emergency. As most of you know, I have to walk Dot and Dash separately now, because of my shoulder injury. I walked Dot first and she seemed just fine. Then I returned and walked Dash. When Dash and I got home again, I discovered that Dot had eaten a big hole in the bedroom carpet and seemed very distressed. When I pulled a long string out of her mouth, I got worried and immediately took her to the vet. It can be quite dangerous for dogs to swallow things like string, pantyhose, or anything else that might get stuck or cut through their intestines. The vet said that Dot was in no immediate danger, but that I should watch her very carefully for the next 72 hours and bring her back immediately if she appeared to have an obstruction. Dot has never done anything like this before. I'm baffled. She eats grass occasionally when her stomach is upset, but has never attempted to eat anything in the house. Especially the carpet.

Hopefully everything she ate will pass through her without any problems. She certainly isn't the first Dalmatian to eat something bad. We have had Dalmatians in the past who have eaten socks, paper towels, and even glass. They all lived. You always worry though. Our emergency vet has a glass case in their lobby filled with unlikely things they have taken out of a dogs stomach. It is unbelievable what some dogs will try to eat.

I had a disagreement with a client about an invoice today. I hate arguing about money. I don't like to wheel and deal and I don't like to negotiate. I've always thought that my services were quite reasonable and have always wondered why people who think I'm expensive don't just go somewhere else. They don't seem to realize that I don't really care whether I keep their business or not. At my age, there's not a single client left who will make an appreciable difference in how I live my life. The die has already been cast. I mostly just work to stay busy. If someone will humor me and treat me with respect, they can get me for a song. If they insist on proving that they are the boss, I'm gone. Life is too short.

I can't decide whether to go to the networking breakfast tomorrow. I probably should, because I've never told these people that I'm growing bored and the omelets are no good anymore. I promised that I'd build the group a good website though, and I'm still not done. I always keep my commitments, so I guess I'll continue getting up early for a while longer. My heart isn't in it anymore though. Eventually the website will be done and I'll probably go back to sleeping in late on Wednesdays. That's just the way it is. What's the point of networking with a bunch of folks when you don't even really want their business?

Janet and I are thinking that maybe Dot has acid reflux.  I had acid reflux for many years and it often made me miserable. I never tried to eat the carpet though.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1518

Well, I guess social media is still useful for a few things. When I was checking to see whether yesterday's blog post uploaded correctly, I noticed something about a special 50th. Anniversary tribute to the Beatles on CBS. I quickly turned on the TV and enjoyed one of the best concerts I've heard in years. I still remember the first time I heard "I Want to Hold Your Hand" piped in over the cafeteria loudspeakers when I was in high school in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Beatles changed everything. Before the Beatles I wanted to be an astronomer. After the Beatles, I decided I wanted to be an artist instead. I bought a guitar and two year later I was playing in a band. When a high school guidance counselor told me I was good at solving spatial recognition problems, I decided to go to architecture school instead of majoring in physics and the rest is history.

The tribute show was fantastic. Well, it was mostly fantastic anyway. I didn't really care for Katy Perry and Alicia Keys, but everybody else rocked. Gary Clark Jr. and Joe Walsh did an absolutely amazing rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I've always wondered why Gary Clark Jr. isn't more widely known. That guy can really sing. The two remaining Beatles themselves were the best. It's hard to believe that Ringo is 74 years old. He looked great and still has his chops. It was great to see Paul and Ringo on stage together again singing a rousing version of "With a Little Help From My Friends." Jeez, even the CBS house band was great. Although he was never mentioned, I noticed Peter Frampton playing on quite a few songs. The only thing missing was Eric Clapton.  He definitely should have been there.

Too bad today wasn't as energizing as last night's concert. My day followed the script I outlined yesterday to a tee. We got up early and took both dogs to the vet for their lab work. After that little excursion, Janet went to work, I ate breakfast and settled down to methodically checking things off today's to-do list. I feel like an animatronic robot sometimes, but I guess it's good to stay busy.

I don't know what got into Dot today. She refused to walk in the park this morning and refused again this evening. I don't know whether her leg hurt or if she was just being stubborn. It was definitely odd behavior though, since walking in the park is usually one of her favorite things. When she refused to walk in the park this evening, I was just about ready to take her back inside when I noticed that she wanted to walk down the alley behind our house. Once we were walking down the long alley, she acted completely normal and did her business as usual. Go figure! I have no idea what this was all about.

I try not to miss the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Every year I hope that the Dalmatian will win the non-sporting group and every year I am disappointed. The Standard Poodle, with its ridiculous haircut, always seems to win this event. Not surprisingly, this is exactly what happened this year, with the beautiful Dalmatian coming in fourth. I don't think the Dalmatian gets a fair shot in this huge and varied group. I doubt that they could put Dalmatians in with the working dogs, since they seldom do any work, but maybe they could put them in with the hounds.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1517

I'm surprised that the city didn't close the dog park today. It was sure pretty muddy when we arrived after breakfast. I'm glad they left it open though, because Dot and Dash both had a great time. Dash even found a playmate, a little black dog who seemed determined to show Dash how fast he was. It was fun seeing Dash lose his fearfulness for a moment and race around the park with his new found companion. After about 45 minutes, both dogs were ready to come home again and they spent the rest of the day curled up on their dog beds.

I returned to the gym this afternoon for the first time since my shoulder injury. I didn't attempt to do any lifting or upper body exercises. All I wanted to do today was burn calories and the treadmill worked fine for that. I hadn't spent much time on the treadmill before, and discovered that all the dog walking I do has actually been keeping me in pretty good shape. Thirty minutes on the treadmill is a lot easier than twenty minutes on the hand bicycle. It was interesting to see that if you control your breathing, your heart rate actually goes down, even if you are moving along at a pretty good clip. I need to figure out how to return to doing upper body exercises without destroying my shoulder all over again. Endurance I've got. It's strength that I need. Muscle atrophy is real as you get older. Dot is experiencing it, and so am I.

I tried to get a head start on my February invoices today. I'm so busy during the workweek now that's it's hard to find time for things like this. Invoices are important though. If I don't send them out, I don't get paid. It would be nice to go after some new, and possibly more interesting, business. This doesn't seem to be in the cards though. It's all I can do to keep up with the business I already have. Every day is more or less the same. I get up. I walk the dogs. I eat breakfast. I write an article. I feed the dogs lunch. I take a shower. I update my clients websites. I write another article. I feed the dogs dinner and walk them again. I eat my own dinner. I write my daily blog post. And I go to bed.

This is exactly what will happen tomorrow, with one small addition. We take the dogs to the vet early in the morning before they have their breakfast so they can both have blood tests. We need to to find out whether Dash has a vitamin-B deficiency and Dot just needs recent blood-work before we get her teeth cleaned. If the dogs aren't having a blood test, chances are that I am. My next test is on the 20th to see if the new Hepatitis-C medicine is working.

I was hoping for another sunny day today, but all I got was an absence of rain. The day started out pretty warm, but the temperature continued to drop as the day progressed. By morning, the chances are high that we will have returned to Winter again. Back and forth between the temperature extremes we go. I don't even think the ground hog could have predicted this.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1516

Did any of you watch the opening ceremonies at the Olympics last night? I was blown away. After all the negative press that Sochi has been receiving lately, I didn't really know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect ethereal giant islands floating through the sky like dreamy zeppelins, or majestically moving music. Russia should be proud. They put on one hell of a show. I guess it's not surprising that I was impressed by these opening ceremonies. I love a grand spectacle. I'm fond of Cirque du Soleil, Phantom of the Opera, and Wagner's Ring Cycle. It's too bad all five Olympic rings didn't open properly, but this was one small glitch in a monumental success. I'm still wondering if the horse I saw grazing on one of those huge floating islands was real.

It's too bad that Russia and the United States aren't on the same side. I've always thought that Russia and the United States were natural allies, rather than natural enemies. We ought to learn from the success we've had working together in space and pool our efforts to be the biggest and the best. If you threw Germany into the mix, there would be no stopping us. I know some of my warm-and-fuzzy, pot smoking friends wouldn't agree, but a world where Dostoevsky, Porsche, Proton Rockets, Hunter S. Thompson, Leica, Steve Jobs, and Neil Armstrong set the tone would be fine by me. If we'd spent the past twenty years working together, we'd be on Mars by now.

Our roller coaster weather continues. It not only warmed up today, it warmed up dramatically. By mid-afternoon, the temperature was almost 60 degrees. On Monday, another cold front arrives and the temperatures are expected to dip into the twenties again. I've learned to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. Not surprisingly, the dogs were just as eager to see the sun as I was. When it was time for their evening walk, neither dog wanted to be left behind. Against my better judgement, I decided to try to walk them together again. Everything worked out fine. Dot and Dash were so interested in smelling things, that neither dog tugged or pulled and I was able to walk them both using one hand. We walked for almost an hour and there was no stress on my shoulder at all. I know this won't always work, but I know my dogs. I could tell that they were in one of those lazy, smell the roses moods before we even left the house.

Since our unseasonably warm weather is supposed to last another day, we may be able to make it to the dog park tomorrow. I guess it all depends on whether last week's mud is drying up fast enough for the city to open the gates. I might even try to go back to the gym tomorrow. It's about time. I haven't attempted a workout since I injured my shoulder and I need to start burning some calories again. I'm not going to attempt any upper body exercises, but the place has a ton of treadmills. I'll just stick with the treadmills for a while.

I can't believe it's almost time to start raking leaves again. After decades of raking leaves, I think I might just let the landscape guys do it this year. They'll probably charge me double when they discover how much dog poop is hiding under the Winter blanket of leaves.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1515

Breakfast was definitely the high point of the day. It's still cold. There's still snow on the ground. And I'm still bundled up in sweaters while I work. The furnace is working fine. The hot air just doesn't seem to make it all the way to the office in the back of the house. The dogs are smarter than me. On cold days they hang out near the heating vents in the living room, where the air is still toasty warm. I guess I could take a laptop and work in a warm room too, but I can't even write a simple letter without staring at a huge high definition screen anymore. Yes, I'm running Microsoft Word on a high end video editing workstation. Hey, I've got to use this stuff for something.

Much to my chagrin, Dot and Dash seem to love being walked separately. Dot takes sedate ladylike steps along the path, stopping periodically to smell things along the way. Dash charges through the brush, feeling a new sense of power now that he's in charge of his walk. I like seeing the dogs happy, but they are making a shambles of my schedule. I still got everything finished today, but it was only because the weather was so nasty that I wasn't tempted to do anything else.

The stock market continues to confound me. Just a few days ago I was happy to see some stop loss orders kick in, seemingly protecting me from the day's 300 point loss. Now, just two days later, the market has already regained most of the losses from the big sell-off and I'm wondering why I sold some perfectly good stocks. That's the trouble with protection strategies. They may protect you from the next zombie apocalypse, but they don't protect you from human nature. It all comes down too fear and greed. My fear triggered someone else's greed and the market went back up again.

Dash is sleeping through the night again, so maybe the Probiotics we're giving him are working. Dot is visibly stronger on her walks, so maybe the water therapy is working as well. My new Hepatitis-C meds aren't making me sick either, so hopefully they are working as well. Medicine is great when it works. It just doesn't work all the time.

It's supposed to warm up this weekend. I've even heard that we may see a little sunshine. With all the mud that appears after a thaw, it's probably too much to ask for the dog park to be open. It would sure be nice though. Dash is getting cabin fever.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1514

When I looked out the window this morning, there was snow on the ground. Although there are some people in Dallas who get excited about our rare snowfalls, I'm not one of them. Snow just means more dirty laundry to wash, more dirty dogs to clean up, and a very chilly office to work in. I didn't even bother to go anywhere in the car today. Every time I'd turn on the news, I'd hear reports of traffic delays and icy wrecks. It just wasn't worth going out.

I certainly had plenty to keep me busy. One of my clients asked me if I could build a complex interactive form for them today. Damn! About the only thing worse than a snow day to me is a day where I have to deal with forms. I don't like to fill out forms and I don't like to create them. I'm sure a lot of my antipathy toward forms comes from filling out the same lengthy forms over and over again in doctor's offices. You'd think doctors would learn to share information that they keep in the cloud somewhere, but they all seem to prefer antiquated metal file folders full of hand written forms.

The interactive application form I created today was five pages long. If I had to fill out a form this long, I'd seriously think twice about whatever I was applying for. I did finish building the form and getting it online however. There wasn't much else to do on a cold, snowbound day. Once I finished taking each of the dogs down to the park to do their business, I plugged in the little ceramic heater under my desk and got to work. It was a long day. Dot and Dash seemed happy enough sleeping on their warm dog beds strategically positioned near a heating vent. I think I would have been happier if I was asleep too.

So far, I have experienced none of the dire side effects that my pharmacist warned me about with my new Hepatitis-C medicine. I actually didn't expect any side effects. These are just pills. I take so many pills already and I can't imagine a few more would make any difference.  It's good news that I don't feel dizzy or lethargic though. I'll be taking these new pills for quite a while. I don't know if I could tell if a pill made me feel lethargic anyway. I always feel lethargic.

Tonight is the last Jay Leno show. I still remember the last Johnny Carson show. It's a shame that the network had to bump off Leno is its quest for a younger demographic. Jimmy Fallon is funny too, but you'd think there'd be a place for both of them. I guess it doesn't really matter, since I mostly just watch ancient black & white Perry Mason episodes while I'm going to sleep.

Will the roads be clear enough for me to go out for breakfast in the morning? That is the burning question of the moment. I imagine the roads will be fine. It will just be irritating to get my car dirty in my crazy quest for poached eggs and pulled pork. It would definitely be nice if the park wasn't so icy. Dot tends to fall over on the slick ground and Dash tends to knock me over. With a bad shoulder and a geriatric Dalmatian, I can't really afford either of these possibilities.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1513

I started my Hepatitis-C treatment this morning. While I was reading all the warning labels and instructions, I saw something that said "do not drive until you see how your body reacts to this drug." That was all the excuse I needed to skip my Wednesday morning networking breakfast. I didn't really want to go anyway. Ever since the guy who made the great omelets left, breakfast hasn't seemed nearly as exciting. I'm probably the only one who goes to these meetings for the food. Everyone else actually seems to like making connections. I'm very reluctant to sell my services too aggressively. I've learned the hard way that if I get the job, I have to do it myself. Most of these other guys and gals in this networking group are in sales. If they get the job, they just pass it off to someone else to complete.

It was so cold this morning that both dogs were finally willing to curtail their morning walks, so we could all go back to the house and warm up. Since I'm walking each dog separately now, the shorter walks allowed me to get back on schedule again. It was still a very busy day. I've doubled my writing workload this year and still have all the daily website updates that kept me busy to begin with. I doubt that I'll be able to keep this pace up forever, but for the time being, it keeps me from dwelling on the boring nature of my life.

Dot had a great day at her physical therapy session. She completed her interval training on the underwater treadmill like a boss and seemed relaxed and happy during her acupuncture therapy. This was the best Dot has done on the treadmill in several months, so I was pleased. When I arrived at the vet's office this afternoon, I saw someone make a u-turn through her parking lot and then drive directly over a street sign. The sign ripped the front bumper off the car and made a general mess of things. When I told the vet about the incident, she said that  the sign was a warning telling people not to make u-turns through her parking lot. Karma at work, I guess.

We haven't taken the dogs to their Wednesday evening training class for almost a month now. It's just been too cold. Dot and Dash certainly don't seem to mind. I think they both realize that lounging around on fluffy dog blankets in a warm house is a lot more pleasant than following orders in a cold, and often muddy field. We'll return to the class in the Spring though. I don't know why, but it is just something we do.

The weather report says it's going to get down to fourteen degrees tonight. Brrr! I don't know how you Northerners tolerate this kind of weather. We're not even halfway through Winter yet, and I'm already sick of continually changing back and forth between multiple layers of heavy outdoor clothing and lighter indoor wear. The large expanses of single pane glass in the house seems to condense buckets of water every morning, and I'm always wondering whether the car is going to start. Basically, I'm just a Winter wimp.

I wish I could tell you that it was Friday tomorrow, but we've got one more day to go. I try not to get ahead of myself, but I'm already looking forward to the weekend.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1512

You learn something new every day. While Dash was at the vet today, I discovered that a side effect of anesthesia is that it tends to kill off the good bacteria in the gut. In most dogs, and probably people as well, this flora quickly reestablishes itself and life returns to normal. In highly stressed dogs, these beneficial bacteria don't return and digestive problems result. This could very easy be Dash's problem. He is definitely not a calm dog, and he has had anesthesia recently. We'll put him on a probiotic for a while and see if his 3 AM wake up calls disappear.

If the probiotics don't work, there's also a chance that he has a vitamin-B deficiency. Evidently, low levels of vitamin-B can cause all sorts of problems, including the same sort of digestive issues Dash is experiencing now. We need another blood test to determine if his vitamin-B and folic acid levels are low. I couldn't get that test done today, since fasting is required, but we'll get our boy tested soon. I can tell Dash is uncomfortable. Hopefully one of these very plausible scenarios it what is causing his problems.

Another thing I discovered today is that the dogs don't tug and pull nearly as much when I walk them separately. When I walk Dot and Dash together, they are constantly competing for what they perceive as the best side of the road, or the most pungent smell. They criss-cross themselves so frequently that I spend half my time untangling their leashes. Left to themselves, they both walk quite nicely, occasionally even seeming to remember the long forgotten "heal" command. So far, I have only discovered one problem with walking each dog separately: it takes twice as long.

It was still cold and wet this morning, but as the day progressed it gradually grew warmer. By the time I took the mail to the post office later in the afternoon, I could actually see a small patch of blue sky. I had high hopes for the rest of the week, until I looked at the weather channel and noticed that it will only be 30 degrees tomorrow morning.

I'm encouraged by the progress I'm making with my shoulder. The cortisone shot is mostly out of my system by now, and the pain isn't that bad unless I do something stupid. Walking the dogs isn't a problem, if I walk them separately. It's the little things that creep up and surprise me. I have to be careful about putting on a heavy coat, or even folding a blanket. I was wondering why I was told not to raise my hand above my line of sight until I tried it. Every time I raised my right hand above my head, I would hear a popping sound in my shoulder. It needs more time. I'm feeling better, but the shoulder is still very weak.

Work is still keeping me extremely busy, but I'm starting to get a rhythm established. As long as nobody throws me a curve, I'll be fine. People always throw you a cure though. It's just a law of nature.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1511

Today was everything you'd expect from a Winter Monday. Cold. Wet. Not really worth getting out of bed for. Although I am reluctant to start any new week, a chilly, damp Winter day makes the hibernating instinct even stronger. I'm still getting used to living with one hand. Walking the dogs has turned out to be easier than I thought and getting dressed is harder than I thought. Things are getting better though. Each day the pain subsides a bit and the shoulder feels a little more stable. I'm trying to be as careful as I can, but you do have to continue going about your normal day-to-day life. When you get up, you make the bed. And when you go outside in the cold, you pull on as many layers of clothes as possible. Hopefully, tasks like these will soon become simple again. Creaky, arthritic joints actually look pretty good when you can't move them at all.

My work load continues to increase. The changes aren't dramatic, but each week I seem to be doing a little bit more than I was the previous week. So far, I'm still managing to get everything completed, but my current schedule sure doesn't leave much time for reading books or watching old movies on Hulu Plus. I guess it's always been this way. I either have way too much to do, or nothing at all. It's almost impossible to find that mythical happy median where you make enough to pay the bills and still have plenty of free time to yourself. That's the problem with working. You're always on somebody else's schedule.

I sure hope some of my stop loss orders kicked in today. With a 300 point drop in the DOW compounding last week's losses, it looks like the overdue correction analysts were predicting is finally here. Most people think the occasional 10% correction is a healthy thing, but I don't agree. It sucks to watch three months of steady gains disappear in a few days. I have a disciplined approach to investing, just like I have a disciplined approach to working and walking the dogs. None of this is any fun though. It's kind of like slogging up a muddy hill on a rainy day. Maybe that's why on days like this, I find myself envying those delusional people who think that life is nothing but rainbows and unicorns.

Dash is still having digestion problems. He goes to the vet tomorrow for his antigen shot, so that will give me another opportunity to ask how to get this dog back on a normal schedule where he isn't scratching at the door at 3 AM every morning to go outside. I don't know what is wrong. The stool sample we took in last week was normal. He's eating very high quality food. His blood work is just about perfect. Dash should be a healthy dog.

I'm supposed to start my Hepatitis-C treatment tomorrow. Since I am one of the early recipients of a brand new drug, I have no idea what the side effects will be. I'm hopeful and a bit wary. The experience ought to be interesting though. I hope I look back at all this as a giant step forward. It could just as easily be another thorn in my side.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1510 - Groundhog Day

Damn you Punxsutawney Phil. The last thing we need right now is six more weeks of Winter. It looks like that's what we're going to get though; starting with today. Luckily, we didn't get the freezing rain that was forecast. We did get a lot of very cold rain that was only a degree or two above freezing though. I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for Spring.

Bruno Mars was the best thing about the Superbowl. He brought more energy to his short halftime performance than Peyton Manning exhibited during the entire game. What happened Denver? This contest was billed as the league's best offense against the league's best defense. Unless I missed something, the Denver offense was nonexistent.

The commercials were terrible this year.  I always like the Budweiser commercials, but their dogs and horses formula is something they perfected long ago. The only commercial that showed any degree of originality was the somewhat self-depreciating Radio Shack spot. Going into a Radio Shack store really is like going back to the 80's. By humorously acknowledging that history has passed them by, maybe the company is creating an environment for change. Who knows. They probably don't know how to change though and will continue to fail in a spectacular way, just like J.C. Penny.

Change is difficult. I'd be the first to acknowledge that people and companies get set in their ways. Even the relatively minor changes I'm having to make as a result of my shoulder injury, are driving me crazy. I'm really having problems with hiring a dog walker. I'm usually the one ranting and railing about irresponsible dog walkers in the neighborhood, so it's hard for me to trust one of these people myself. I'm sure there are excellent dog walkers, but I've seen some of them do some really stupid things down in the park and was glad they weren't responsible for any of my dogs.

Maybe there's a solution though. A friend let me borrow a waist leash today. I gave the contraption a trial run this afternoon and it actually seems to work as promised. A sturdy dog leash is attached to a belt that goes around your waist, allowing you to walk even large dogs hands-free. I see joggers using these things occasionally, but I'd never used one myself. Surprisingly, the leash seemed to work. I'll have to walk the dogs separately, but I was able to give Dash a good, well controlled walk without using my hands.

Instead of our usual Superbowl burgers, Janet cooked braised porkchops in the slow cooker and served them on top of an arugula and pear salad. The combination was delicious and the porkchops were unbelievably tender. I love the slow cooker. I guess it all goes to prove that it doesn't matter if the weather is terrible and the Superbowl is a bust, as long as you end things with a great meal.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1509

I shot lots of pictures of dogs in tutus today. You get a different crowd for Valentines Day pet pictures than for Santa pictures. There were very few big dogs and no families. Everybody was pretty young today. A lot of people wanted to have their picture taken with their dog. Your first thought is that the picture is going to be a gift to a special someone of the owner. Then you realize that the dog actually is the owner's valentine. That's OK, I guess. I've seen surveys saying that dogs are increasingly the significant other in many people's lives.

Christmas pictures are almost always expansive, happy affairs. Families bring in four or five big, rowdy dogs, a few kids, and even a cat and then try to cram everything into one picture. Valentines Day pictures are kind of lonely by comparison. It's usually a single small dog accompanied one well dressed young person.

I made it through the day with no further injuries to my shoulder, but realized that you can't really do much with one arm. There were so many things today that just required two hands. Maybe abstaining from walking Dot and Dash and limiting my workouts to walking on a treadmill will help the healing process, but there are so many other ways you use your shoulder muscles every day. A host of simple little things like putting on your pants in the morning, drying your back with a towel after taking a shower, or putting groceries into a grocery cart all have to be re-thought. This is probably why my rehabilitation didn't work out so well the last time I dislocated my shoulder. There are simply too many things that need to be done and too few people to lean on for assistance. I hate to ask for assistance anyway. I've done things my own way and on my own schedule for so long no, that it's really hard for me to change my ways. I'll just do the best I can and try not to do anything stupid.

The weather is turning cold again. They say we might have freezing rain by morning. At least we managed to get this photo event, and most of the weekend grocery shopping out of the way before the bad weather arrives. I think this has been one of the strangest Winters in recent memory. We continue to alternate back and forth between days where you can wear shorts and other days when the roads are slick with ice. It is not uncommon to have 50 degree temperature shifts in a single day. Yesterday there were lots of people having picnics in the park behind our house. I doubt that there will be many picnickers tomorrow.

It's been a long day. I'm tired, but I think the day was a success. We made some money for Dalmatian Rescue. Everyone seemed very happy with their pictures. And most of the photo gear has already been stowed away until it is needed again. I'm looking forward to sleeping in late tomorrow morning. I really hope that Dot and Dash have the same idea.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1508

No wonder athletes get hooked on steroids. That cortisone shot I got yesterday really took care of the pain in my shoulder. I'm feeling pretty good today, but as the orthopedic surgeon I saw yesterday told me several times, "Just because you feel better, doesn't mean you are better." I need to remember this, because the last time I injured my shoulder, I didn't let it heal properly. I'm not going to repeat that mistake.

I woke up with a dead phone this morning. I'm such a creature of habit that when I used the x-ray of my shoulder for yesterday's blog post, there was not a need to sync the phone with my computer to transfer the day's pictures. This is usually when the batteries get recharged. It never occured to me that I could just plug the phone into a wall socket like a normal person.

The phone is recharged now, and by all appearances, so am I. After a mercifully good night's sleep, I woke up ready to get caught up on things. I updated my client's websites, finished all my writing assignments and even had time to do a little shopping. My favorite menswear store always has this annual Superbowl sale where for a single afternoon they sell their normally hugely expensive merchandise for 75% off. I knew the guys were pricing things for the Sunday sale today so I went down and picked up a great looking pair of Robert Talbot jeans for $39. No more relaxed fit for me. I've lost enough weight that I can wear skinny jeans again.

I really miss not being able to walk the dogs. The long morning walks are typically the most relaxing part of my day. Janet was able to walk Dot and Dash again today and we'll probably select a dog walker over the weekend. I'm not a very trusting person, so it might be hard to find a dog walker that I have any faith in. "Don't ever let Dash's leash get out of your hand," I'll say. "He'll run away and you'll never see him again." "Dot is very frail. Don't let her trip on a rock or get tugged around by Dash." "Don't ever let Dash eat horse poop. He has a sensitive stomach and he'll throw up in the bed the next night and leave a horrible mess for me to clean up." I've spent so much time around the dogs that I'm convinced that I can read their minds and anticipate their actions. I'm not sure anyone else will have this ability.

Tomorrow I'll be shooting Valentine's Day pet pictures for a Dalmatian Rescue fundraiser. We always do a ton of Christmas events, but this is the first Valentine's Day photo shoot we've had since 2010. Janet and the volunteers will help me load and unload the heavy equipment, so I should be fine. If the camera pulls my shoulder out of joint again, I'm in worse trouble than I thought.

The stock market had another terrible day. They say as January goes, so goes the entire year. I hope that's not true. Things certainly aren't looking very auspicious at this point though. Maybe this isn't the year to fret about money. If I can finally rid myself of the Hepatitis-C virus I've been carrying around with me for 30 years, it will be a very good year no matter what happens with the market. The older you get, the more you realize that health actually is more important than wealth.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1507

The bad news is that I apparently did dislocate my right shoulder on Tuesday. The good news is that I probably won't need surgery. After spending the better part of the day reading old magazines in two different waiting rooms, I finally received some pain pills and a cortisone shot directly in my shoulder joint. I'm already starting to feel a little better, but I can't walk the dogs for two weeks. When I go to the gym, I need to forgo the upper body exercises for a while as well.

Last night was terrible. I didn't sleep a wink. I finally got so tired of the dogs bumping into my arm on the bed, that I pushed two of their dogs beds together in the living room and slept there. Well, I tried to sleep anyway. It was painful on my back, on my side, and on my stomach. There was just no escape from the painful shoulder. Janet walked the dogs and drove me to the doctor this morning, but it put her way behind at work. We're going to have to find a dog walker for a short time while I heal.

I got a call this afternoon saying that I had been approved to begin my Hepatitis-C treatment. It looks like I will begin taking the newly approved medicine next week. It is absolutely astounding how expensive these little miracle pills are. You could purchase a very nice new car for what it costs to take the new 12-week Solvadi and ribavirin regime. Luckily my insurance will pick up most of the tab. It's hard to believe that a few little pills could ever cost so much, but I guess the pharmaceutical company is trying to recover the enormous cost of developing these pills.

I didn't do well with my writing assignments today. It's hard to type with one hand. It's actually a lot easier to drive with one hand, although shifting can still be a little tricky. I drove to my second doctor's appointment myself and somehow made it home again in one piece. Hopefully, I will at least partially regain the use of my other hand by tomorrow. I have a big photo assignment on Saturday and I'm a little worried that I won't be able to pick up my five pound DLSR. A lot could change by Saturday though. I'm optimistic at this point.

You learn a lot about the healthcare system when you spend your day sitting in waiting rooms. Today, I learned that medicine is way too expensive, waiting rooms are way too crowded, and doctors are almost universally stressed and overworked. I asked my doctor this morning how Obamacare was working out for him.  He said it was total chaos at his clinic. He told me that nobody has a clue about what to charge patients, or even whether the patients are actually insured. The only person I know personally who is a fan of Obamacare happens to own an insurance company. If insurance executives actually like the plan, this tells me all I need to know. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when all those big insurance executives got together with the president. You know they walked away from that meeting with some kind of sweet deal.

Dalmatian of the Day

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